TY - JOUR

T1 - Physical literacy in Europe: The current state of implementation in research, practice, and policy

AU - Carl, Johannes

AU - Bryant, Anna S

AU - Edwards, Lowri C

AU - Bartle, Gillian

AU - Birch, Jens E

AU - Christodoulides, Efstathios

AU - Emeljanovas, Arunas

AU - Fröberg, Andreas

AU - Gandrieau, Joseph

AU - Gilic, Barbara

AU - van Hilvoorde, Ivo

AU - Holler, Peter

AU - Iconomescu, Teodora M

AU - Jaunig, Johannes

AU - Laudanska-Krzeminska, Ida

AU - Lundvall, Suzanne

AU - De Martelaer, Kristine

AU - Martins, João

AU - Mieziene, Brigita

AU - Mendoza-Muñoz, Maria

AU - Mouton, Alexandre

AU - Olaru, Bogdan S

AU - Onofre, Marcos

AU - Pavlova, Iuliia

AU - Repond, Marie Rose

AU - Riga, Vassiliki

AU - Salin, Kasper

AU - Schnitzler, Christophe

AU - Sekulic, Damir

AU - Töpfer, Clemens

AU - Vasickova, Jana

AU - Yıldızer, Günay

AU - Zito, Viviana

AU - Bentsen, Peter

AU - Green, Nigel

AU - Elsborg, Peter

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Background/objective: The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) embraces different person-centered qualities (physical, cognitive, affective/psychological) necessary to lead physically active lifestyles. PL has recently gained increasing attention globally and Europe is no exception. However, scientific endeavors summarizing the current state of PL in Europe are lacking. Therefore, the goal of this study was to comprehensively assess and compare the implementation of PL in research, policy, and practice across the continent. Methods: We assembled a panel of experts representing 25 European countries. Employing a complementary mixed-methods design, the experts first prepared reviews about the current state of PL in their countries (categories: research, practice/policy). The reviews underwent comparative document analysis, ensuring a transnational four-eyes principle. For re-validation purposes, the representatives completed a quantitative survey with questions reflecting the inductive themes from the document analysis. Results: The document analysis resulted in ten disjunct themes (related to “concept”, “research”, “practice/policy”, “future/prospect”) and yielded a heterogenous PL situation in Europe. The implementation state was strongly linked to conceptual discussions (e.g., existence of competing approaches), linguistic issues (e.g., translations), and country-specific traditions. Despite growing scholarly attention, PL hesitantly permeates practice and policy in most countries. Nevertheless, the experts largely anticipate increasing popularity of PL for the future. Conclusion: Despite the heterogeneous situation across Europe, the analysis has uncovered similarities among the countries, such as the presence of established yet not identical concepts. Research should intensify academic activities (conceptual-linguistic elaborations, empirical work) before PL may gain further access into practical and political spheres in the long term.

AB - Background/objective: The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) embraces different person-centered qualities (physical, cognitive, affective/psychological) necessary to lead physically active lifestyles. PL has recently gained increasing attention globally and Europe is no exception. However, scientific endeavors summarizing the current state of PL in Europe are lacking. Therefore, the goal of this study was to comprehensively assess and compare the implementation of PL in research, policy, and practice across the continent. Methods: We assembled a panel of experts representing 25 European countries. Employing a complementary mixed-methods design, the experts first prepared reviews about the current state of PL in their countries (categories: research, practice/policy). The reviews underwent comparative document analysis, ensuring a transnational four-eyes principle. For re-validation purposes, the representatives completed a quantitative survey with questions reflecting the inductive themes from the document analysis. Results: The document analysis resulted in ten disjunct themes (related to “concept”, “research”, “practice/policy”, “future/prospect”) and yielded a heterogenous PL situation in Europe. The implementation state was strongly linked to conceptual discussions (e.g., existence of competing approaches), linguistic issues (e.g., translations), and country-specific traditions. Despite growing scholarly attention, PL hesitantly permeates practice and policy in most countries. Nevertheless, the experts largely anticipate increasing popularity of PL for the future. Conclusion: Despite the heterogeneous situation across Europe, the analysis has uncovered similarities among the countries, such as the presence of established yet not identical concepts. Research should intensify academic activities (conceptual-linguistic elaborations, empirical work) before PL may gain further access into practical and political spheres in the long term.

KW - Active lifestyle

KW - Competence

KW - Education

KW - Exercise

KW - Health

KW - Physical activity

U2 - 10.1016/j.jesf.2022.12.003

DO - 10.1016/j.jesf.2022.12.003

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36688001

AN - SCOPUS:85145830662

VL - 21

SP - 165

EP - 176

JO - Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness

JF - Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness

SN - 1728-869X

IS - 1

ER -